The Ordway is home to four performing organizations – The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, the Schubert Club (who also has a museum housed in the Landmark Center) and the Ordway, which hosts traveling shows and Broadway @ Ordway. Here, we share events we are excited to see coming soon and reviews of shows.
Note: Except for special events — like the Flint Hills Family Festival, children under 6 are not allowed in the Ordway theaters.
ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT CALL THE ORDWAY HOME:
Upcoming Family-Friendly Shows
Flint Hills Family Festival - May 31-June 1, 2024
On Your Feet! is a musical based on the lives and music of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. It opened on Broadway in 2015 and received several award nominations, including a Tony Award® nomination for Best Choreography. It has had several tours and productions on the West End and in the Netherlands.
Best for Ages 8+.
Single ticket purchases will go on sale in the summer. Find more information and/or sign up for updates here.
La Bohème - May 4–12, 2024
Minnesota Opera @ Ordway Center for Performing Arts, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102
A classic love story between to poor Bohemians in Paris. • Read more about age recommendations, length/intermissions & language here • Get Tickets.
Come from Away is a musical based on the events in the Canadian town of Gander during the week following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when planes were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. First produced in Ontario in 2013, the musical had record-breaking runs in San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Toronto before opening on Broadway in 2017. Come From Away was nominated for seven Tony Awards® and won Best Direction of a Musical for Christopher Ashley. It is the longest-running Canadian musical in Broadway history.
Best for Ages 10+.
Single ticket purchases will go on sale in the summer. Find more information and/or sign up for updates here.
I (Gianna) saw this show when it was at the Orpheum Theatre in January 2022. The show has the best, uplifting music of most shows I have ever been to. With a folk band playing in a rock-style, every toe was tapping and every hand was clapping. Pilots are singing about flying, parents are trying to call home, people are falling in love, dogs and cats are being rescued, passengers are begging in song to be let off the plane.
As a Gen Xer, 9/11 hits me hard. I remember that day and the following days so well. Except there were stories we never would have thought about, and Come from Away is one of those collections of stories. It will have you laughing and crying (and for some of us ugly crying like our whole section that was bawling).
While most of the show is very appropriate for kids (there’s a little language and a flashing-but-still-fully-covered scene), for those of us who lived those days, you may not want to have to explain what’s going on or answer questions in real time. However, I think kids will learn a lot at this show. And it’s got message about being scared and still doing the right thing. It’s so good.
From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over. SIX won 23 awards in the 2021-2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.
Best for Ages 10+.
Single ticket purchases will go on sale in the summer. Find more information and/or sign up for updates here.
This electrifying, smash-hit Broadway musical follows the Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Nominated for 12 Tony® Awards and the winner of the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography, the unforgettable story is set to the beat of the group’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and many more.
Best for Ages 12+.
Single ticket purchases will go on sale in the summer. Find more information and/or sign up for updates here.
Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy® Award winner Alan Menken, this fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.”
Best for Ages 6+.
Single ticket purchases will go on sale in the summer. Find more information and/or sign up for updates here.
Declared “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history” by The Washington Post, Dear Evan Hansen is the first contemporary musical about connection in the digital age. It tells the story of Evan Hansen, a high school student who always feels like he’s on the outside looking in. Packed with some of the most popular musical theater songs from the last decade, including “You Will Be Found,” “Waving Through A Window” and “For Forever,” Dear Evan Hansen features an uplifting score by the Tony®, Grammy® and Oscar® winning team behind The Greatest Showman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Tony Award® winner Steven Levenson.
Best for Ages 13+.
Single ticket purchases will go on sale in the summer. Find more information and/or sign up for updates here.
Mean Girls is the hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and original director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). It centers on Cady Heron as she navigates high school and a trio of frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George.
Best for Ages 13+.
Single ticket purchases will go on sale in the summer. Find more information and/or sign up for updates here.
Based on the classic 1988 rom-com that launched the career of Julia Roberts, Mystic Pizza is a new musical about three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love and family in a small-town pizza joint. The infectious score features mega-hits of the 80s and 90s, from “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Addicted to Love” to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “Take My Breath Away,” and many more. This instant classic is in its pre-Broadway run and will make its Minnesota premiere at the Ordway.
Best for Ages 14+.
Single ticket purchases will go on sale in the summer. Find more information and/or sign up for updates here.
MORE KID-FRIENDLY THEATER & MUSIC
Kid-Friendly Theater, Music and Performing Arts in the Twin Cities
Plan ahead to take kids to the theatre! We love finding kid-friendly theater, music and all the performing arts. We also recognize live shows can take some pre-planning. We’ll keep a running list of current and upcoming performances on this page so you can peruse ahead and pick your favorites. The lovely thing about children’s